Assassin's Creed - Lion City
by TheKaizoku
Summary: Set in the first half of the 19th century, in the colony of Singapore. The centuries-long Assassin-Templar war quickly spreads to the colony, with British resident Major William Farquhar as the leading Templar. If you liked the story or have any comments, please review, favourite and follow.
1. Chapter 1

It was night on the 5th of February, 1819. Thomas Stamford Raffles, most of the time just known as Stamford Raffles, sat in the room, looking at the opened letter. After taking a deep breath, he read the letter for the third time, as if reading it again would change its contents.

"Mentor Raffles, I write to you with grave news. It appears that one of your men from the East India Company, a man known as Major William Farquhar, has been identified as a member of the Templar Order. I leave it to your decision what to do to Major Farquhar," Raffles read softly.

The letter was signed by Hamid, the Mentor of the Indian Brotherhood of the Assassin Order, and an acquaintance of Raffles'. The news was indeed bad, as Raffles had originally intended for William Farquhar to be the first British Resident of the new British colony – Singapore. As the Mentor of the British Malayan Brotherhood of the Assassins, Raffles knew he had to do something about it.

Walking out of the room, Raffles met one of the British soldiers, Captain Sherman Peirce, who was also a member of the Assassin Order. But Raffles was known to be more of a diplomatic Assassin than a fighting Assassin, while Sherman was more of a fighter.

Sherman saluted Raffles. Raffles acknowledged with a nod and pulled him back into the room. Shutting the door, Raffles said softly, "Sources have told me that Major William Farquhar is a member of the Templar Order."

He was taken aback by the news. "Is your source trustable, sir?"

"Very trustable, Sherman," Raffles replied. "Since you're a member of the Assassin Order, and the highest-ranked fighter stationed here, you will aid the Order in establishing a stand here in Singapore, and at the moment stop Major Farquhar from succeeding in his Templar goals. You will have the rank and authority of a Master Assassin."

Sherman took a bow and said, "Thank you Mentor. I will not fail you."

Months passed, and it was now November of the same year, which was 1819. The population of Singapore had reached almost two thousand. Sherman Peirce, now the most senior Assassin in the British colony, had secretly and successfully recruited Assassins into the Brotherhood. The number of Assassins was small, with less than fifty in the colony, and they had much to do, with a Templar as the most senior figure in the colony.

Fortunately, Major Farquhar had not discovered that both Captain Sherman Peirce and Stamford Raffles were both Assassins, for that would spell grave danger.

William was going against Raffles' instructions, by allowing opium trade and slavery in Singapore. There was no opposition, as communication between him, the East India Company and Raffles, who was residing in Bencoolen, was poor.

Luckily, Raffles had sent a merchant from Penang, which was also British-controlled, who was also a member of the Assassin Order, to Singapore to help Sherman.

Sherman walked through a street in the colony, which was made up of just a town, heading towards the Assassin's Headquarters. Back in his home country the temperature would be cold, but here in Singapore the weather was much hotter, and it appeared that the weather was the same all year round.

The Assassins Headquarters was an ordinary-looking building that did not draw attention to it. On the ground floor of the building was a shop that was closed most of the time, which was run by the merchant, a middle-aged Russian called Gregory Alexovich.

Entering the building through a discreet side entrance, Sherman met up with Gregory, who was dressed in civilian attire and wore a cross necklace.

"Sherman, a ship owned by the Chinese pirate Tsung Wei has just docked. The name is familiar to me. Tsung Wei is famed for robbing merchant ships and selling their goods in ports," Gregory informed. "As I remember from my time in Penang, Tsung Wei is a member of the Templar Order."

"I trust that there'll be Assassins at the port by the time I reach there," Sherman said.

Before setting off Sherman changed into his Assassin Robes, which would make him unrecognisable by his soldiers if he was not unlucky. Once he was ready he set off for the port.

At the port Sherman rendezvoused with three Assassins, who had been sent by Gregory.

"Master, the Templar's ship is docked nearby. We know where it is," one of the Assassins said.

"Well then, lead the way."

The ship was guarded by a small group of Chinese men, probably Tsung Wei's own guards. Sherman pointed out the men to his Assassins, and gave them orders to take the men out.

Boarding the ship, the four men went below deck to see what goods the ship held. Sherman was delighted to see barrels of gunpowder. He looked over to the Assassins. They already understood what Sherman wanted to do with them.

Minutes later they had made a trail of gunpowder all the way to the gangway of the ship. Sherman drew his flintlock pistol and fired at the beginning of the trail. The gunpowder ignited and as the spark made its way below deck the four of them ran as far as they could away from the ship. Seconds later there was a loud boom as the barrels of gunpowder exploded, destroying the ship and sending debris and water onto land.

Not long after Tsung Wei himself arrived, accompanied by three more of his Chinese guards. He was shocked to see his ship destroyed. Sherman, who was watching nearby, revealed himself and attacked them.

Releasing his Hidden Blade, Sherman stabbed the first guard, who was still unsheathing his dagger. As the first guard dropped, Sherman's peripheral vision caught the second and third guards being killed.

Now Tsung Wei was surrounded by Sherman and the three Assassins. Tsung Wei growled angrily as he pulled out a sword.

"You will pay for destroying my ship, filthy Assassins," said Tsung Wei before attacking them.

Sidestepping Tsung Wei's attack, Sherman drew his cutlass and slashed Tsung Wei in his arm. Tsung Wei stumbled and Sherman seized the opportunity, slashing Tsung Wei a second time with his cutlass. One of the Assassins dealt the final blow with a Hidden Blade.

As Tsung Wei collapsed, the four Assassins kept their weapons. Sherman kicked the body to make sure that he was dead. Now they could hear footsteps that were getting louder. Without further delay they fled the scene.


	2. Chapter 2

News of the Chinese pirate's death spread quickly, due to Singapore being a small settlement. It was generally happy news, as the death was that of a pirate's, but the population was also shocked, as it was one of the first recorded murders in the newly-established colony's history.

Sherman was confident that he would not be arrested, due to his position and that the steadily-rising population in Singapore.

In wake of the murder, William Farquhar had posted more guards around the town. He assured the public that it would only be temporary. That was only more proof that Tsung Wei was connected to the Templar Order.

Weeks passed, and it was now early December, 1819. The nervousness of Singapore's residents had died down and so had the regular guard patrols.

During a patrol duty, Sherman spotted Major William Farquhar himself, walking with another Englishman, and as they walked they were being guarded by a group of British soldiers. Sherman walked up to them.

"Ah…allow me to introduce you to Captain Sherman Peirce, the highest-ranked soldier on the island. Well, that is until you arrived," William gestured to Sherman. "Sherman, this gentleman here is Lieutenant Colonel Francis Cotton, a good friend of mine."

Sherman shook Francis' hand and nodded. "Pleasure to meet you, sir. Perhaps I should be jealous, as now I'm not the highest-ranked soldier here anymore."

They shared a laugh. Francis shook his head. "No worries, Captain Peirce. I will only be here for a short period. Rest assured your status will not be coveted!"

After a few more seconds of conversation, they parted ways and Sherman resumed his patrolling duty. But now Sherman's mind was filled of things about this Francis Cotton, whether he was a Templar comrade or a normal friend of William's. He made a mental note to ask Gregory Alexovich as soon as possible.

Once his patrolling duty was over, Sherman returned to the Assassin's Headquarters and asked Gregory, "Do you know anyone who goes by the name Francis Cotton?"

Gregory's eyes widened. "A British soldier, isn't he?"

"Indeed, he's a Lieutenant Colonel whom I saw with William during my patrolling duty," Sherman said. "How do you know him anyway?"

"That ruthless bastard needs to die," Gregory said as he clenched his fist. "He's an English Templar. Cotton knows who I am, and William will know of the Assassin presence in Singapore if he spots me."

"Francis Cotton told me he would be here for only a short period of time."

Gregory revealed, "Years ago in Penang, Francis Cotton executed an Assassin named Ali ibn Tazim. Ali was an Assassin then who was unlucky enough to be captured by the Templars. Ali was also my best friend in the Assassin Brotherhood."

"Jesus," Sherman uttered. "I'm sorry to hear that, Gregory."

Gregory nodded. "I will make Francis Cotton pay for it. Where is he now?"  
"No idea, but I think I know something that will help you. William mentioned that Francis was a good friend of his."

"That could help me," Gregory said as he made his way to his room, most likely to get changed. "Thank you for telling me this, Sherman."

Sherman knew Gregory's mission had failed, when he heard that a Russian man had been arrested while making an attempt on an important visitor's life. The arrested was being held at a cluster of tents, which was located a short distance outside of the town.

Dressed in his Assassin robes, Sherman made his way to the tent cluster. Sherman had been there quite a few times, and knew where Gregory would be held. The tent cluster, which comprised of about twenty tents, was located in a small forest clearing.

By the time Sherman reached the tents it was nearly nightfall, which helped him. Sherman saw a tent on the outer part that was guarded by two soldiers, and immediately he knew that was where Gregory was being held.

He moved through the forest around the clearing until that particular tent was much closer. Then Sherman came out of the forest, rushing at the two guards.

Sherman delivered a hard punch to the first soldier's stomach, before slamming the knuckles of his other hand hard into the second soldier's body. Making a 180-degree turn, Sherman elbowed the second soldier in the stomach and threw the first one over his shoulder. The two bodies lay on the ground, unconscious.

Entering the tent, Sherman saw Gregory, who was tied up, asleep and had wounds all over his body. Untying Gregory, Sherman woke him up.

Gregory was glad to see Sherman. "Damn Templars knew something like that was going to happen," whispered Gregory.

Pulling him up, Sherman told him, "Let's get the hell out of here, Gregory. There're two ticking time bombs outside."

Shortly after Gregory was rescued Sherman had been activated by William Farquhar. "Captain! A prisoner has escaped!"

"Prisoner? What's all this about?"

"You didn't hear the news?" William was mildly surprised. "An attempt was made on Lieutenant Colonel Cotton's life recently, and the culprit was arrested. We only know his first name, which is Gregory. And he's a Russian."

Sherman pretended to be shocked. "I hope he's alright. I'll help out at once."

In less than half an hour Sherman and about thirty of his soldiers combed through the entire town, hunting for Gregory. Sherman purposely led his troops not to find Gregory, who was hiding in the Assassin's Headquarters.

After the search, which lasted approximately two hours, was over, Sherman returned to the Assassin's Headquarters. "There'll be many people on the lookout for you, Gregory. You have to escape Singapore, or even British Malaya."

Gregory shook his head and a crafty smile formed on his face. "What if…I pretend to escape? William will think that I've escaped, and I can remain here to aid the Brotherhood. It would kill two birds with one stone."

"That's a damn good idea you have, there. I only hope that you know how to carry out the idea," Sherman said.


	3. Chapter 3

Three days later, a robed figure walked down the streets, heading for the port. As the figure neared the port, a few soldiers noticed the figure, and began heading towards the person.

The figure was none other than Sherman, who was pretending to be Gregory Alexovich. Sherman noticed the soldiers closing in, and started running. The soldiers began chasing after him.

Since Gregory's escape, there had been more British soldiers patrolling the port, hoping to catch the escaped prisoner. This was their only chance, or so they thought. Sherman saw two soldiers guarding a section of the port, and as they saw him they raised their rifles.

He did not stop. Sherman extended his hands as he neared the two soldiers. Perfectly Sherman grabbed hold of the two rifles and yanked them out of the soldiers' hands. Sherman tossed one of them in the water and kept one for himself, in case he needed to use the rifle.

Glancing over his shoulder Sherman saw about eight soldiers chasing after him. It was not far now. The ship, which was owned by a friend of Stamford Raffles', was waiting for Sherman. The plan was that once the ship left Singapore, Sherman would board another ship, a merchant ship owned by another friend of Stamford's, which was heading to Singapore.

As Sherman ran up the gangway to the ship, two of the crewmembers began dismantling it, and the ship began to sail off. The soldiers attempted to get to Sherman, who they still thought was Gregory, by jumping and climbing up the ship.

Sherman reacted by drawing a flintlock pistol and waving it at the soldiers. As the ship started sailing off, Sherman shouted a Russian phrase, which meaning he did not know but Gregory had told him to say. It would further strengthen the soldiers' belief that their target was Gregory.

Hours later Sherman returned to the Assassin's Headquarters in the colony. "What did that phrase mean, Gregory? I know it's Russian, but what does it mean?"

"I haven't spoke Russian for almost three years now, but I roughly remember it as a vulgarity," explained Gregory. "Now I'm sure they'll think I've escaped. But we should lay low for a while, just to make sure."

They were unable to detect Templar activity for a few months. By then it was already July 1820, and Singapore's population had increased to nearly three thousand five hundred. The population was increasing rapidly, and William was ordering the construction of much more houses. But the location of the houses were not in accordance to Raffles' instructions.

In addition, William had allowed gambling and the trading of opium and slaves in Singapore, all three of which Stamford considered as social evils. Sherman and Gregory could not take it any longer, and decided that they had to retaliate.

Along with Gregory, Sherman made his way to a gambling den popular with the locals, especially the Chinese immigrants, near the port, as that was where most of the Chinese worked.

Entering the den, Sherman drew his pistol and fired at one of the tables, where two men were playing a Chinese game using tiles. There was a hole in the table where the bullet had hit. The sound of the bullet being fired was heard throughout the entire den.

Immediately most of the gamblers started fleeing, but a few brave souls made their way towards Sherman and Gregory, wanting to teach them a lesson.

Sherman went for the most dangerous one, who was armed with a knife. Holding the man's arm in up in the air, Sherman used his other hand to slam the man's head on the table. On the second slam the wooden table broke, and Sherman released the man. The man collapsed onto the floor and dropped his knife.

Gregory was fighting two of the brave souls, who were both unarmed and were circling around him. He did not have to wait very long before one of them rushed towards him. Gregory stepped aside in time and kicked the moving man hard in the back. The man fell and rolled over, before losing consciousness.

The second man looked around him and saw Sherman releasing his bleeding victim. Now terrified, the man fled. Sherman and Gregory looked at each other before both of them walked deeper into the den.

At the back there were several piles of cash on a table, divided according to the country of origin of the currency. Two of the den's guards were there, armed with knives. Sherman drew his flintlock pistol and aimed it at them, even though he knew it was empty. The two guards fled, leaving through a back door.

Walking over to the pile of cash, Sherman and Gregory took some of them before leaving.

The news spread fast, as it was the first time a licensed gambling den had been attacked. Sometimes unlicensed gambling dens would be raided by British soldiers, as they were reducing income for William, who was paid monthly by the owners of licensed gambling dens.

No doubt William was furious when he got the news, more so when he was told some of the cash had been stolen. He ordered for security to be enhanced at gambling and opium dens, with more of the den guards, who were actually secret society members, on guard.

The Assassin Order was clueless as to how the secret society worked, so a few Assassins were dispatched to investigate.


	4. Chapter 4

The dispatched Assassins worked fast and efficiently, and in less than a week their objective had been achieved. It was now known that the secret society, known as Triple S, was a Templar-affiliated group.

Triple S was the largest secret society in the colony, and they had a rank structure much like the Triads. Their activities ranged from importing opium and lending money.

Sherman had a suggestion, but upon voicing it to Gregory he disapproved of it.

"It's the underworld, Sherman, it's too risky," Gregory said.

"I myself never thought I would want to dabble with the underworld," Sherman conceded. "But Assassins have done it before. Hope Jensen, for example. Right now we have no influence, no power. But if we take over the society, Triple S, or maybe simply an Assassin-affiliated organisation, the Assassins' existence on the island would be more stable."

Gregory thought of what Sherman had said, and finally agreed. "How do you intended accomplishing that?"

Sherman smiled as he equipped his Hidden Blade. "The old-fashioned way, of course."

In an alleyway was a Triple S-controlled market, with its members walking around the area. Sherman decided that he would kill some of them and leave the rest unconscious, so as to set an example.

His attire attracted the attention of some of the members, who began to move towards him as they drew their weapons. Sherman ran towards the nearest member and performed a flying-kick to his stomach. Upon seeing their comrade getting attacked, two of the society members attacked Sherman from behind.

Sherman spun around just in time, pulling his cutlass out and parrying the two knives. Kicking one of them in the shin, Sherman gained the upper hand as the injured stumbled backwards. He then thrust the cutlass into the other member's chest, killing him immediately. The member who had been kicked in the shin, who was the last one standing, recovered quickly and charged at Sherman.

Timing the moment correctly, Sherman grabbed the man's wrist, preventing the knife from reaching him, and then twisting his hand. Before the member could pull his hand away, Sherman kicked him hard in the crotch. The man staggered before collapsing and blacking out.

Sherman looked around him and was contented to see that everyone else had fled. He went around the stalls stealing some of the money before leaving the market.

After returning to the Assassin's Headquarters to drop off the stolen cash, Sherman continued his spree, even though it was nearing ten in the night.

An opium den owned by the secret society stood in the middle of the town, with two Indians armed with kukris standing guard outside. Sherman brisk-walked up to them and snatched the kukri out of one of the guard's hands. Using the kukri, Sherman cut down the two guards in three slashes.

Inside the opium den there were more secret society members, all of who came after Sherman on sight. Sherman plunged the kukri into the forehead of the first member and pushed him into the second one. Drawing his flintlock pistol, Sherman fired at the third man.

There were two more secret society members remaining. They were hesitating on whether to attack him, for they had already seen the consequences of doing so. Sherman heard a pistol being fired, and a moment later a bullet whizzed past him.

One of the customers, who appeared to be a businessman, was holding a pistol which Sherman had never seen before. Sherman thought it would be nice to add it to his collection. Striding up to the businessman, Sherman knocked him unconscious and took his pistol.

Meanwhile, the other two secret society members had decided to attack him. That decision they regretted very quickly. Sherman examined the pistol he had taken and discovered that it could hold up to six bullets at once, and the businessman had only fired one of them. Sherman used the pistol to shoot both of the remaining members.

Looting some of the cash, Sherman left the opium den through a back door, then returning to the Assassin's Headquarters.

Gregory inspected the pistol that Sherman had gotten from the businessman. "Ah…yes, I have seen this pistol model only once before. But it's model is so unique I've not forgotten it. It's a new design, thus I'm not surprised to see that you have no idea what this is. I believe this is called the Elisha Collier Revolver. This weapon is not like the pepperbox pistols, where they are inaccurate and simply a pain in the side. This pistol also uses the flintlock mechanism, but it can reload faster, has greater accuracy, and as you can see, bigger capacity."

"Luckily I took this from the man," Sherman said. "This baby will probably serve me well in time to come."

Gregory nodded. "All together you've stolen around sixty British pounds worth of cash, which is quite a sum to earn in one day. What do you intend to do with the money?"

"No idea," Sherman answered. "We might use it to buy weapons, bribe people, or do other things. Just keep the money first."

Nodding again, Gregory informed Sherman, "I've already given orders to the Assassins to find out the identity of higher-ranking members of Triple S. It's going to take a very long time to destroy them if you intend on simply disrupting their businesses and killing their low-ranking men, especially if they're not our main enemies."


	5. Chapter 5

Days later Gregory told Sherman the names of some high-ranking members of Triple S, which had been gotten by the Assassins.

"First up is Fabian Schuster, a businessman from the Austrian Empire who holds the rank of White Paper Fan, a term originated from China for a financial or business advisor. Second is a German named Jorgen Munik, a former Hessian in his late forties who serves as a Vanguard aka an operations officer, who helps the Incense Master or the ceremonies officer and plans operations. Lastly is Duo Cheng, young man from Fujian Province, China, who's the Incense Master for the Triple S."

"I will go for them in the order you've told me," Sherman said. "I'll get started right away."

Fabian Schuster spent most of his time in his home, which was the first floor of a building which he owned. On the ground floor of that building was the office of his business, a one-man company known as Fabian Schuster Consultancy.

Sherman walked into the building and saw Fabian, who was sitting at his desk doing what appeared to be paperwork. Fabian stood up immediately and dusted off imaginary dust on his clothing, before walking up to Sherman.

"I have seen you before," Fabian noted. "You are Captain Sherman Peirce, are you not?"

"Indeed," Sherman said as he shook his hand. "I am honoured you remember me, Mister Schuster."

Gesturing for Sherman to take a seat, Fabian asked, "Why are you here today, Captain Peirce?"

Sherman drew his flintlock revolver, the Elisha Collier Revolver, and aimed it at Fabian. "White Paper Fan of the Triple S, eh?"

He was shocked and did not make any attempt to hide or deny anything. "How…how did you know?"

"Probably you are in possession of business records regarding the Triple S," Sherman said, ignoring Fabian's question. "Where are they?"

"I…I cannot tell you," Fabian said hesitantly. "My li…life will be taken from me…me if I tell you."

Grabbing Fabian by the collar, Sherman pulled him close, then releasing his Hidden Blade. The blade was a mere centimetre away from Fabian's chest

"They're on my desk!" revealed Fabian. "Some of them are also under my table!"

"Are you sure?" Sherman asked, bringing the blade closer to his chest.

Fabian nodded with a terrified expression on his face. Sherman let go of Fabian, at the same time swapping his revolver for his cutlass. Sherman then crossed the wooden counter and killed Fabian. Placing Fabian's body on the floor away from passers-by's sights, Sherman began looking through the stacks of paper on Fabian's deck.

Minutes later Sherman had gathered enough documents to satisfy himself, and left the building. Going back to the Assassin's Headquarters, Sherman passed the papers to Gregory.

"Help me to look through the papers, will you?" requested Sherman. "See if there's anything of interest in them."

Gregory uttered a yes as he took the papers. Sherman then left again, going after his second target, Jorgen Munik.

It took longer to find Jorgen, as he did not have another job like Fabian Schuster. But before the end of the day Jorgen was found, after Sherman searched through a list of places given where Jorgen might be.

Jorgen was actually located in the gambling den that Sherman had attacked earlier. Sherman entered the gambling den, which now had lesser customers but more guards.

Opening fire at all but one of the guards, Sherman asked the remaining guard, "Where is Jorgen Munik?"

The guard pointed to the stairs. "Up…upstairs."

Sherman rewarded the guard with a quick death by his Hidden Blade. Walking up the stairs, he encountered Jorgen, who was armed with a rifle that had a bayonet attached to it.

"I hear that you are looking for me," Jorgen said calmly, with a tinge of arrogance in his voice. "Let's see if you can beat me. In case you don't know yet I was an elite Hessian who served the British during the Irish Rebellion."

Sherman rolled his eyes as he holstered his revolver, bringing out his cutlass. Jorgen stabbed Sherman with the rifle, but Sherman dodged it with ease. Sherman grabbed the rifle with his hands, trying to disarm Jorgen. However Jorgen was stronger than Sherman, and managed to make Sherman's plan fail, even slashing him on the underside of his arm. Fortunately the wound was not deep.

While Sherman examined his wound, Jorgen aimed his rifle at the Assassin, preparing to finish him. But Sherman had seen Jorgen raising his rifle, and moved away quickly. The bullet buried itself in the wall where Sherman was standing in front of just moments before.

Luckily the former Hessian was tiring out. Sherman could understand that, as normally Hessians would use light weapons, and were usually younger than Jorgen, who was armed with a heavy bayonet-attached rifle.

It was not long before Sherman managed to inflict wounds on Jorgen. Deflecting the expected blow from Jorgen's rifle with his cutlass, Sherman drove his Hidden Blade into Jorgen's stomach. Jorgen stumbled backwards, dropping his rifle and clutching the bleeding wound with a hand.

"You lucky bastard," Jorgen uttered. "Let's see how much luckier you can get from here."

Sherman was impressed with Jorgen's unarmed combat skills, although it was hardly the time to do so. His cutlass sped towards Jorgen's heart, but Jorgen hit the blade hard in the flat side with his knuckles, sending it flying out of Sherman's hand.

As Jorgen dived towards Sherman's cutlass, he pulled his revolver out, firing a bullet into Jorgen's back. Jorgen groaned as he dropped on the ground, his hand just inches away from the cutlass. Jorgen rolled over, trying to stop the blood oozing out of his back, but too much blood had already been lost.

Bending down to pick up his cutlass, Sherman said, "You were a worthy adversary, Jorgen. For that I shall grant you a quick death."

Duo Cheng was said to be a very skilled fighter, being good at both melee and unarmed combat. He was said to be from the Hongmen, a large secretive brotherhood originating in China, before migrating to Singapore. Thus, Sherman was more prepared when he went to face Duo Cheng.

It appeared that Duo Cheng had been expecting Sherman, as his facial expression did not change one bit upon his appearance. Sherman's focus shifted onto a necklace which Duo Cheng wore. It was yellow in colour and had a familiar symbol on the necklace. The necklace looked very old as well.

"Where did you get that necklace?" Sherman demanded to know.

Duo Cheng looked down at his necklace before looking up again. "I'm sure you as well know the symbol on my necklace, which is the mark of the Assassins. This necklace is a family heirloom, passed down from generations."

"The necklace of Shao Jun, is it?" Sherman asked.

"Indeed," answered Duo Cheng.

Shao Jun was a legendary female Assassin from China, who had lived centuries before.

"But how can I be sure it's yours, and you didn't just steal it from some random stranger?"

Duo Cheng stood up and said, "You'll just have to fight me, then."

He did not hold back at all, making good use of the weapons he had. Sherman drew his cutlass as Duo Cheng drew his weapon, a Chinese jian. Duo Cheng ran at Sherman, leaping high up in the air.

Sherman rolled aside as Duo Cheng came flying down towards him. There was a snick as a blade ejected from under his boot. Duo Cheng performed a neat roll to cushion his fall as he landed, and the blade disappeared at the same time.

"A Hidden Footblade," noted Sherman. "Interesting."

The throwing knife came flying so fast towards him, Sherman barely had time to dodge it. Looking in front of him, Sherman saw that Duo Cheng was already speeding towards him, with his jian ready to cut Sherman down.

Sherman blocked with his cutlass, but Duo Cheng kicked him in the shin, making Sherman involuntarily move backwards. Duo Cheng brought his jian down in a curved arc, its planned contact at Sherman's shoulder.

Reacting fast, Sherman charged into Duo Cheng, wrapping his hands tight around him as he continued moving. Sherman finally let go towards the end of the room, throwing Duo Cheng at the wall. Duo Cheng got up quickly, dusting the dust off his clothing.

"That was a fight well fought," Duo Cheng said. "Now do you believe who I am?"

"Yes, a descendant of Shao Jun," Sherman replied. "But why are you here, in this colony? And why with a Templar-affiliated group?"

"I did not know that at first," Duo Cheng said. "I only wanted to take over this secret society, the Triple S, and model it similar to the Assassin Brotherhood."

"But the Assassin Brotherhood has already been established here," Sherman revealed. "We were planning to turn the Triple S into an Assassin-allied organisation."

Duo Cheng smiled at Sherman. "Then perhaps we can make some alterations to our plans, so that we can suit each other."

"Just as I thought," Sherman said.


	6. Chapter 6

Gregory was surprised to see another person next to Sherman. "Who's that?" Gregory asked, his hand reaching for his sword.

"Stay your blade, Gregory," Sherman told him. "He's Duo Cheng, but he's no enemy of ours."

As Sherman did, Gregory's focus shifted to the necklace Duo Cheng was wearing. Before Gregory could speak, Sherman continued, "He's a descendant of the Chinese Assassin Shao Jun, or so he claims. But there's one thing about him I know for sure, which is that he's a damn good fighter. He possesses one of those Hidden Footblades and uses a Chinese sword."

"So you're letting him join the Brotherhood?" Gregory asked.

Sherman nodded. "We can let him take control of the Triple S once its leaders have been eliminated. He was part of the Hongmen in China as well, so he should have an idea on how to run a secret society."

"Very well," Gregory was appeased. "Duo Cheng, do you know who're the top two guys in Triple S? I believe they're known as the Mountain Master and Deputy Mountain Master."

Duo Cheng was impressed that the Russian knew the names. "Very soon you'll be able to speak Chinese. Anyway, you're right. But I only know the identity of the Deputy Mountain Master. The Mountain Master's identity remains a secret to everyone in the society but the Deputy Mountain Master himself."

"Who is this Deputy Mountain Master, then?" Sherman asked.

"The man is Zhang Wen," informed Duo Cheng. "But he went to China to recruit more men into the Triple S. He's set to return by the end of the week."

Looking at Gregory, Sherman nodded. Gregory nodded back, understanding what Sherman wanted him to do.

Three days later, one of the Assassin scouts rushed back to the Assassin's Headquarters. "Master Alexovich, the ship has arrived! Where is Master Peirce, by the way?"

"No idea," Gregory replied. "But Duo Cheng and I are ready. We'll leave right away."

Upon seeing Duo Cheng, the Deputy Mountain Master, Zhang Wen, and his guards walked over to him. Zhang Wen and Duo Cheng exchanged greetings in Chinese.

"Allow me to introduce you," Duo Cheng said in English. "He is Gregory, one of our newly-recruited associates."

"Pleased to meet you, Gregory," said Zhang Wen as he shook hands with Gregory.

To Gregory and Duo Cheng's surprise, Sherman was one of Zhang Wen's guards, and he was dressed in his soldier uniform.

"Why do you have British soldiers guarding you?" asked Duo Cheng, motioning to Sherman and another British soldier.

Zhang Wen had a look of surprise on his face. "You didn't hear? The British resident of this place, Major William, wishes to meet with me. The two soldiers here are escorts sent by him."

Duo Cheng looked over to Sherman. Sherman's face told him that Zhang Wen was telling the truth. At the same time, Duo Cheng drew his jian while Gregory pulled his sword out.

"What are you doing?" Zhang Wen asked rhetorically. "Put your blade away, now!"

Simultaneously four Assassins emerged from the shadows, reinforcing the two men. But they were low-ranking Assassins, armed with only daggers and basic combat skills.

"Men!" Zhang Wen ordered. "Get those traitors!"

In the midst of all the chaos, Sherman was helping his true allies, but his real enemies did not know, as they were only focused on combat. The other British soldier, a Sergeant, was surprised when he caught a rifle round to his stomach.

"Captain!" the Sergeant called. "I've been shot!"

Sherman walked over to the Sergeant, smiling coldly. Drawing his cutlass, Sherman killed the Sergeant with it, before putting away the cutlass.

"My comrade's been killed!" shouted Sherman. "We can't win this, Master Zhang! We have to retreat immediately!"

Zhang Wen hesitated for a few moments, before saying in Chinese, "Do what the soldier says! Retreat!"

Duo Cheng said in English, mostly for Sherman's benefit, "They're retreating!"

"You'll pay for the treachery!" Zhang Wen turned back to say as he retreated.

Looking in front, Zhang Wen saw the remaining British soldier, Sherman, with his rifle aimed at him. "What has gotten into you, soldier?" Zhang Wen said. "I am the one you are protecting!"

"Hands up," Sherman ordered. "Or I'll put a round into your head."

As Zhang Wen surrendered, the Assassins killed off the remaining of his guards. Acting that Sherman was their enemy, Gregory ordered for Sherman to be knocked unconscious.

Two of the Assassins dragged Zhang Wen while another two of them pulled Sherman back to the Assassin's Headquarters.

In the Assassin's Headquarters Sherman changed out of his uniform before they went to interrogate Zhang Wen. Zhang Wen was woken up with a hard slap to the face from Duo Cheng.

"What do you want, traitor?" Zhang Wen asked.

Sherman told him, "Who is the Mountain Master?"

"I have sworn not to give out his identity," said Zhang Wen.

Gregory answered by unsheathing his sword and holding it close to Zhang Wen's throat. Zhang Wen did not even flinch. "You have balls," Gregory said. "Let's see how much more balls you have."

Before Zhang Wen could react, Duo Cheng dug two fingers into the skin below his collarbone. After a second or two, Duo Cheng pinched a nerve bundle. Zhang Wen could not stop himself from screaming in agony. Duo Cheng pinched the bundle harder, until it burst. By then Zhang Wen was starting to tear.

"Who is the Mountain Master?" Duo Cheng repeated Sherman's question.

Zhang Wen gave in. "William Farquhar himself, is the Mountain Master. When the colony was first set up he ordered for a secret society to be set up, so his power over the colony would be more stable. I was chosen to be the society's Deputy Mountain Master."

They did not believe Zhang Wen. Gregory pressed his sword hard against Zhang Wen, and soon blood began oozing out of the injury. Zhang Wen could not see the injury and thought it was more serious that it was, and he started pleading for them to stop.

"It's true!" Zhang Wen said. "I'm not lying, I swear!"


	7. Chapter 7

Sherman, his uniform now covered in Zhang Wen's blood, made his way to Major William Farquhar, fake-limping to make it more realistic.

"Jesus, what happened to you?" William asked with genuine curiosity.

Sherman pretended to be out of breath. "Your client…and I were…were kidnapped. I saw him…him die in front of me!"

William was annoyed at that. "Whose blood is on your clothing?"

"A mixture, sir," Sherman answered. "I was tortured…but I didn't say anything. I didn't hear what they were question…questioning him about. But I managed….managed to avenge his death."

"What were your kidnappers like?" William asked. "Did they have hoods?"

"Yes…yes sir," replied Sherman. "They also…also had a strange blade on the under…underside of their wrists. How did you know they had hoods?"

William spat on the floor in anger. "Those men are enemies of the colony. Their aim is to cause chaos and gain control of Singapore."

Sherman knew that was total bullshit, but acted surprised anyway. "That's terrible! We need to get our allies to help immediately! If they can do such terrible things, I'm not sure what much more they're capable of."

"No, we cannot do that," said William. "If we do that they will know once and for all that we are too weak for them, and we'll be gone for."

"I see," Sherman said as he fake-coughed. "I will do my utmost to stop those men. Tell me if you need my help, sir. I will take my leave now. I need to recover from my wounds, however light they are."

"Oh wait, sir," Sherman called out. "I…I overheard one of those men saying after the client was killed. They said they now had control over the secret society. Do you have any idea what that means, sir?"

William shook his head. Obviously lying. "I have no idea what that means, but thank you for telling me that, Captain. I will look into the matter at once."

Back at the Assassin's Headquarters, Sherman told Gregory and Duo Cheng what he had told Major Farquhar.

"Well done," commended Gregory. "Now he'll be sure to do something, and perhaps we can use his actions to aid in destabilising his position or weaken the Templars in the region."

The next day, Duo Cheng had been officially promoted to become the Deputy Mountain Master of the Triple S. He had also been invited by William to visit him.

Duo Cheng shook hands with William, before taking a seat. "Major Farquhar, I already know you are the true Mountain Master of the secret society."

William raised an eyebrow, surprised. "How did you know?"

"Zhang Wen spoke of you before, when he was still alive," lied Duo Cheng.

"Oh, I see," William nodded, apparently satisfied by Duo Cheng's explanation. "Now, I've received word from one of my soldiers, that there are men trying to take over the Triple S. Being the new Deputy Mountain Master, I need you to take more caution when doing things. Also, I want more men on patrol on our establishments, is that clear?"

"Understood," said Duo Cheng. "Do you want me to find out the identity of the usurpers?"

"You may, but take caution when doing so. The usurpers are well-skilled, so you must not underestimate them, no matter how weak they seem."

A period of time passed, and it was now mid-September, 1820. William thought the Assassins had ceased operations in Singapore, and that his and the secret society's control had been stabilised.

"Duo Cheng," William addressed as he entered. "I need you to protect two of my allies, who will be arriving in the country very soon. The first is Father Federico Perez, a Spanish preacher. Second is Eleanor Mallow, a retired British officer and the daughter of Commander Matthew Davenport, a relatively famous British soldier during the American Revolution."

"I will try my best," Duo Cheng said. "But will your enemies make an attempt to kill them?"

"They might, but you'll have to be ready for them."

Gregory recognised two names – Matthew Davenport and Eleanor Mallow. "A very cold and calculating person, but also very loyal to his allies, mainly the British Army and the Templars. Fortunately he died years ago. Eleanor Mallow, his daughter, also a British officer during the American Revolutionary War. If I'm not wrong she's in her late sixties or early seventies now, but she could still be a dangerous fighter. Back then she was known as one of the best fighters in the Templar Order."

"Do you know anything about the other one, the Spanish?" queried Sherman.

"I have no idea who this Father Perez is, but he probably is a Templar as well."

Duo Cheng asked, "What shall I do, then? Do I let the Assassins kill them upon their arrival? Or do I wait?"

"We have to kill them when we still know their whereabouts," decided Sherman. "For all we know they might disappear once they're safe with William."

The other Assassins agreed with Sherman.

On that day, Sherman and Gregory, dressed in their Assassin robes, made their way to the port. When they were there they scanned the areas, and saw that the four Assassins were already in place.

Duo Cheng and three secret society members were at the port, waiting for the ship, which was visible, to dock. Duo Cheng had purposely picked the secret society members with bad reputations and who seemed disloyal, so they could be killed.

What seemed to be an elderly couple walked off the ship. Both of them were in their golden years, and did not look poor. Duo Cheng walked up to them, with his three society members following behind.

"Might you two be Father Federico Perez and Eleanor Mallow?" Duo Cheng queried.

The man nodded and lifted his head, revealing his face. The woman did the same. "Major Farquhar sent you?"

Duo Cheng nodded in reply. The man was definitely Spanish, and he could tell that the woman was English. "If we're ready we can leave immediately."

"Lead the way, then," Eleanor gestured.

As they exited the port, they were ambushed by the Assassins. Without hesitation Father Perez drew a pilgrim's staff, which had been concealed in his robes, while Eleanor drew her spadroon, a light sword that had been popular with military and naval officers. Duo Cheng noted that one of the pilgrim's staff ends had been sharpened.

Sherman and Gregory first focused on killing the three secret society members, as the four Assassins distracted Father Perez and Eleanor. Less than half a minute later, after the secret society members had been killed, the two Assassins went for Father Perez and Eleanor. Duo Cheng was knocked unconscious, so as not to accidentally deal further harm to him.

His cutlass came into contact with Father Perez's staff. Being younger and better in shape than Father Perez, Sherman was obviously stronger than him. But Father Perez managed to dodge as he moved his staff away and the cutlass came flying down at him.

Skilfully spinning his staff with a hand, Father Perez declared, "Today I shall redeem you sinners with my staff!"

Not wanting to waste anymore time, Sherman drew his flintlock revolver, firing two shots into Father Perez. Father Perez fell onto the ground, blood flowing out of his two bullet holes.

"Wait, where's Eleanor Mallow?" Sherman realised that she was missing.

Gregory determined what she had done almost immediately. "That crafty bitch, she must've gotten away."

"Shit," Sherman swore. "We need to kill her before she gets to Major Farquhar. If that happens he'll know that the Assassins are still in the colony."

Without hesitating, Sherman and Gregory split up, searching for Eleanor, who had managed to escape somehow.

Eleanor stood out from the other civilians, mostly because she was running. And because she was old she did not run fast, making Gregory confirm that the person was indeed Eleanor Mallow.

Pulling his sword out, Gregory ran towards Eleanor. As he neared Eleanor spun around, swinging her spadroon at Gregory. The sword came dangerously close to him, but missed by a bit. Gregory stabbed Eleanor, but she danced away from the blade.

"Give up already," Gregory persuaded. "The Assassins here are much stronger than you think."

She did not reply. Instead, she pulled out a flintlock pistol. But as Eleanor raised the pistol, Gregory knocked it out of her hands by hitting it with his sword, before releasing his Hidden Blade and thrusting it into Eleanor's heart.

He did not wait around for her to die, as he knew it was a mortal blow. Gregory kept his weapons and fled the scene.


	8. Chapter 8

William had adapted. Instead of bringing in Templars from other lands, he tried to bring men already on Singapore to his side. William's first target was a wealthy Hungarian merchant, Miko Orosz. Miko owned a fleet of merchant vessels, as well as a small platoon of guards that guarded his vessels and himself.

The Assassins determined that once Miko was dead they could take over his fleet, using it to benefit the Assassins. They received news that Miko was holding a function for any upper-class person in Singapore at his house, a brick one-storey house in the countryside.

After hearing that several of William's own allies being murdered, Miko posted a few of his guards around the house. Gregory turned up for the function, dressed in his Assassin robes, which with his hood up looked fancy enough to be admitted. Miko himself was at the entrance, shaking hands and meeting with all the guests.

Miko, thinking that Gregory could be an interesting guy, stopped him. "Who might you be?"

Gregory took a small bow and replied, "I am Alex Ivanovsky, Polkovnik of the Imperial Russian Army. In English the rank would be known as Colonel, I believe. Recently I took a long leave, so I decided to visit this land."

"Ah, I see," Miko said. "Welcome to my function, then. I hope you will enjoy it."

The function began soon after Gregory arrived, once all the guests had entered the well-decorated house. Miko, a fit man in his late thirties, stood on the grand staircase, addressing all the guests, who were on the ground floor.

"Welcome to my house," Miko said. "I am Miko Orosz, if you have not known yet. Through this function I hope I will get to know some of you more, and establish good relationships. Since I have nothing else to say, let us officially begin the function, then!"

Gregory made his way around the house, making casual conversations with some of the other guests while following Miko around. Soon Miko made his way to one of the rooms, with William following behind.

Stopping outside the room, which door was closed, Gregory eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Major Farquhar, it is a pleasure to finally meet you again," Miko said. "I hope we can strengthen our ties after today, so we can help each other out when needed."

"I see you have posted guards around the house," William noted. "I assume that is because you have heard of the outcome of several of my previous allies, who have been killed by my enemies?"

"Yes, indeed. I still have many years to live, and I do not wish for it to be ended early and abruptly."

"That is a very wise choice you've made, to post guards around the house," William said. "Now, I have a request for you, more of an offer actually."

"Let me hear the offer, then."

But before William could make his offer, a hooded Gregory barged into the room. His Hidden Blade sprang out. Turning to look at William, Gregory said, with his face down, "Today is not the day you die, Templar. Leave the room or you shall perish with him."

William did not need further persuasion, and rushed out of the room, shutting the door behind him. "So much for goddamn strong ties," commented Miko. "Why would you want to kill me? I have no existing good ties with Major Farquhar, who is a 'Templar', so I see no reason for me to be killed."

"That is where you are wrong," Gregory said, taking a step closer to him. "If I didn't interfere, by the end of this function you and William would have established a strong relationship. I am here to ensure that it will never happen."

Miko was unarmed, but fought pretty well, probably because he did not want his life to be ended so quickly. As Gregory came towards him, Miko circled around, raining awkward but effective punches on Gregory periodically.

His arm was starting to ache, and that was when Gregory decided he could not wait any longer. Grabbing Miko's hand as it flew towards him, twisting it around and slashing his wrist. Miko howled in agony and pulled his hand away from Gregory.

"I shall spare you of the pain right now," said Gregory as he drew his sword, plunging it into Miko's throat. He made a strangulated sound as Gregory pulled the sword out.

Sheathing his sword and keeping away his Hidden Blade, Gregory left the room and the house.

The next morning there were once again more British soldiers on patrol. Since the previous night Miko's brick house had been placed on lockdown by the soldiers, disallowing any unauthorised personnel from entering or exiting the house. William wanted the Assassin caught and executed as soon as possible. Gregory decided to pay William a visit, so as to make him fear the Assassins even more.

William, now dressed in uniform, paid a visit to the house, accompanied by three of his soldiers. Sherman was one of the soldiers on duty then, guarding the house.

"I need to take a piss," William told his men. "Stay here, I'll be right back."

Gregory waited patiently for William to finish doing his business. William was stunned to see the Assassin when he turned back. Before William could alert his soldiers, Gregory closed the distance between them and covered William's mouth.

"Let me go at once!" demanded William.

"And why do I have to obey you, Major William Farquhar?" asked Gregory. "After all, I am the one who can kill you right now."  
"You wouldn't."

Gregory spat on William's uniform, before drawing his pistol. He jabbed the end of it into William's back. William's face paled upon feeling the flintlock pistol's muzzle.

Whacking William in the temple with his flintlock pistol, Gregory watched as he fell to the ground and lost consciousness. Putting away his pistol, Gregory carried William and walked to where his soldiers were waiting.

The soldiers were alarmed when they saw their superior's body over a stranger's back. Before they could aim their rifles at him, Gregory told them, "I've no ill intentions, so you may put away your weapons. I found your superior lying on the ground nearby, so I brought him here. He should get medical attention quickly, I suggest."

As the soldiers carried William's body, Gregory told them, "I'm actually a longtime friend of Major Farquhar. Tell him my name when he wakes up. The name's Gregory Alexovich. Now before you arrest me let me tell you, I am not the Russian outlaw who escaped months ago. I am a different man."


	9. Chapter 9

Upon gaining consciousness a few hours later, William realised Gregory had tricked his own soldiers, and was furious.

"I want him to be tracked down immediately!" William ordered Sherman, who was present at the scene. "Spare no effort in finding Gregory Alexovich!"

Sherman nodded and left the room, accompanied by three soldiers. Passing William's command to all the other British soldier, they began the hunt for Gregory.

Duo Cheng, who was walking around town at that time, saw Sherman patrolling the streets with two of his soldiers. Walking up to Sherman, Duo Cheng asked, "Sir, may I ask, why are you all patrolling the streets? Has something happened?"

Sherman, who had his rifle in his hands, turned to look at Duo Cheng. "Indeed, the Russian criminal, Gregory Alexovich, who was thought to have fled the colony, has re-appeared. Just a few hours ago he made an attempt on Major Farquhar, the British resident's life. If you have word on Gregory's whereabouts, be sure to inform the soldiers at once."

"All right, sirs," Duo Cheng nodded. "Good luck finding the Russian bastard."

Immediately Duo Cheng returned to the Assassin's Headquarters, updating Gregory. Gregory swore, and started wondering on how he would settle it. Finally he decided that he had to leave the country at once.

"I'll move off now," Gregory told Duo Cheng. "Make sure you and Sherman take care of the Assassin Brotherhood here, you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," Duo Cheng nodded. "Good luck, Gregory."

Gregory left the Assassin's Headquarters, dressed in his Assassin robes and his hood off, so as not to draw attention. But before Gregory could make it to the port, he was spotted by a squad of three British soldiers, led by a Sergeant.

Running up to Gregory, the two soldiers aimed their rifles at him. The Sergeant knew that he was Gregory, and demanded, "Surrender now, Gregory Alexovich!"

"I am no Gregory Alexovich, I swear!" Gregory lied.

The Sergeant ordered his men to fire, but before they could, Gregory attacked the patrol. Releasing his Hidden Blade, Gregory stabbed the first soldier in the chest. As the Sergeant loaded and raised his rifle, Gregory's hand reached out for the second soldier, pulling the body in front of him.

There was a bang as the Sergeant fired a bullet from his rifle. But by then the soldier's body had reached its destination – right in front of Gregory. The bullet entered the soldier's forehead, killing him immediately. Pushing the body aside, Gregory took the man's rifle and shot the Sergeant in his neck.

As Gregory ran away from the scene, two more patrols arrived, each patrol consisting of three soldiers. Without hesitation one of the soldiers fired at Gregory. Gregory tried to suppress the pain, but eventually he blacked out. The last thing he heard before going unconscious was "Finally we got the damn bastard."

Gregory woke up to find himself in a cage, which was being drawn by horses. Civilians lined the streets, pelting Gregory with whatever they could find. His hood was up, letting all of them see his face clearly.

"Death to you!" one of the civilians shouted.

He knew he was being executed, and did not make any attempt to escape, yet.

Soon the cage arrived at the makeshift stage, which had a noose on it. William himself was standing on the stage, guarded by two soldiers. There was an executioner as well, his identity concealed by a hood.

Six soldiers escorted Gregory to the stage, two of them dragging him by his arms while the other four walking close by, armed with loaded rifles.

"This man, Gregory Alexovich, thought that he could get away after committing several heinous crimes!" William began. "Murder! Attempted murder! Theft! And likely much more that we don't know of! A man of such evil has to be rid of at once, don't you agree!"

The civilians who had gathered around the makeshift stage roared in agreement. They began chanting, "Death to the criminal!"

As the executioner prepared, Gregory decided that he had to make a last stand, right there and then, even if he would not make it out alive. Getting off the noose, Gregory took the stool and hurled it at the executioner.

With two strong hands the executioner caught the stool and put it down beside him. The executioner drew a sword and charged towards Gregory. Ducking from the attack, Gregory delivered an uppercut punch to the executioner's jaw, causing him to stagger backwards. Simultaneously, Gregory disarmed the executioner, taking his sword.

As the executioner was recovering, Gregory thrust the sword at the executioner, but he stumbled to one side in time. The executioner grabbed on to the blade of the sword, trying to snatch it away from Gregory, but accidentally cut his hand, causing him to pull his hand away from the blade.

Suddenly a shot was fired. Gregory toppled onto the stage, the back of his head bleeding profusely. The sword's handle left his hand and flew to the ground, landing near his body. William had produced and fired a flintlock pistol.

The civilians cheered as William raised his pistol triumphantly. "Let this serve as a warning! The long arm of law will always catch up with offenders! Do not be an offender, for this could happen to you!"

Sherman and Duo Cheng, dressed in Assassin robes, watched from a distance. "Rest in peace, friend," Sherman muttered.

"Rest in peace," whispered Duo Cheng, before both of them walked away.


	10. Chapter 10

After the execution, William knew that Assassins would eventually take revenge, so he started surrounding himself with guards wherever he went. But it would not be so easy for the Assassins to give up.

It was night on a weekend, and William had been at an acquaintance's party, drinking and partying to his heart's content. After the party was over, at about eleven at night, William left the building, getting onto one of the three carriages outside. The other two carriages were occupied by British soldiers, who were William's guards.

Sherman crouched on the rooftop of a nearby building, watching William's every move. As the carriages departed, Sherman drew his flintlock revolver and shot one of the wheels of William's carriage. The noise travelled fast and far. William did not leave the carriage, for he knew that he would be an easier target if he did so.

The soldiers from the other two carriages hopped out immediately, surrounding William's carriages and trying to find out who had fired the pistol. Sherman shot two of the soldiers in non-fatal areas, before fleeing the scenes. By then the remaining soldiers were on full alert and terrified.

The next morning William woke up in his house to find a note right beside his bed, which had the Assassin insignia on the paper. William crushed the paper in his fist and called for the soldier outside.

Sherman entered the room, and asked with faked but seemingly-real innocence. "What happened, sir? Are you alright?"

"Who left a note beside my bed?" demanded William.

"A note? May I see it?" Sherman asked.

William shook his head. "Nevermind. I will find out who was behind this myself. Dismissed!"

Once Sherman left the room William started wondering, who might have left the note here? Were there Assassins in the British Army? If so, did that mean that William was in danger?

"Captain Peirce!" William called again. Sherman rushed into the room again.

"There might be a traitor amongst your ranks," William told him. "I want you to find out who the person is at once! And Captain, do not tell anyone else about my instructions, is that clear?"

"Yes sir," answered Sherman before leaving the room.

Once his shift was over, Sherman returned to the Assassin's Headquarters.

"We need a soldier to be framed," Sherman informed Duo Cheng. "So William will finally calm down."

"My suggestion is that we take a Templar and frame him as an Assassin spy," suggested Duo Cheng.

"Brilliant idea," Sherman commended. "Now we only need to find the target."

The target was chosen to be a young British Corporal, who had an ideology similar to a Templar's. The Assassins identified the Corporal as a potential Templar recruit, so they could do with him dead.

Entering his house while the Corporal was out, Sherman planted an Assassin necklace in his drawer, along with a Hidden Blade. He knew that the Corporal would not find them so fast, so they had time to carry out the rest of the plan.

"Sir," Sherman told William. "I intercepted a note addressed to one of my men, Corporal Todd Wilhelm. They called him an 'Assassin', with the first letter capital. I have no idea what that means."

William's eyes widened. "That is the name of the enemy group, the Assassins. I want a squad to search Corporal Wilhelm's home immediately."

Sherman and four soldiers, armed with rifles, stacked up outside Corporal Wilhelm's home. Sherman counted down with his fingers, before barging into the house.

At that time Corporal Wilhelm was home, and he was stunned to see his own comrades storming into his house. "What the hell are you all doing?"

"Put your hands up, Corporal," ordered Sherman.

Corporal Wilhelm obeyed. "Why are you all here?"

Ignoring the question, Sherman told his men, "Two of you, guard the Corporal. Other two, search the house."

Sherman searched a few other areas, so as not to make it suspicious when he found the items he himself had planted. After a few minutes Sherman returned, with the Assassin necklace and Hidden Blade in his hand.

"The symbol on this necklace resembles a symbol found on the letter I intercepted," Sherman informed. "I found this in one of his drawers. This is more than enough proof to identify him as an enemy of the colony. Take him away!"

Without hesitation the two soldiers dragged Corporal Wilhelm away, as he protested his innocence.

Returning to Major Farquhar, Sherman presented his 'findings' to him. "This weapon," William explained. "Is known as the Hidden Blade, a trademark weapon of the Assassins. These two are proof enough of his involvement with the enemy. Good work, Captain. I'll make a personal recommendation to have you promoted."

"Thank you sir," answered Sherman.

Corporal Wilhelm awakened, and recalled what had happened earlier. He said, "I'm not an enemy, I promise!"

William drew his flintlock pistol and whacked Corporal Wilhelm hard in the head. "Don't lie, Assassin. Proof has already been found, there's no use in denying."

"Assassins?" Corporal Wilhelm was dumbfounded. "I'm no killer!" He thought William meant an assassin.

"Some people never change," said William with a sigh. "But no matter. I will make sure you do no more harm to the colony. Any last words?"

"All I have to say, is that I am no assassin," Corporal Wilhelm said. "My conscience is crystal clear."

William shook his head in disgust before shooting Corporal Wilhelm dead. As he left the room, he ordered, "Dispose of his body at once."

The Assassins' operation was successful, and now William's fears of an Assassin infiltrator in the British Army had been allayed. Now Sherman could continue his work without worry.


	11. Chapter 11

It was now February 1821, and the presence of a peculiar Templar living in Singapore had gotten the Assassins' attention. There were many tigers living in the wild in the colony, mainly due to the fact that much of the place was still occupied by forests.

A Templar known as the Tiger Tamer was doing exactly what his nickname meant. Tiger Tamer was taming tigers to be his protectors, and lived in a shack in the forest.

Recently the Tiger Tamer had been spotted with Major Farquhar himself, with a Templar ring worn. The Tiger Tamer was Indian, and was in his early middle age, at about thirty-five to forty years old.

Three Assassins, led by Sherman, made their way to the Tiger Tamer's shack. They found it too risky to travel on ground, so they travelled there through the trees.

Soon they came upon a small forest clearing, where the wooden shack was located. Outside the shack was a clothesline with some of the Tiger Tamer's clothes hanging on it.

"Use the trees to search around the area," Sherman ordered the two Assassins. "Quietly and quickly."

Forty-five minutes later they were back. "Two tigers in the distance directly ahead," one of the Assassins reported.

Sherman smiled. "Perfect time to test out the gift, eh?"

Just weeks ago one of the other Assassin Brotherhoods had sent a parcel to Sherman. The parcel contained a blowpipe, some darts for the blowpipe and a short note on how to use the blowpipe.

Loading the blowpipe with a more-than-usual potent sleep dart, Sherman circled around the shack through the trees until he saw them. Aiming carefully, Sherman fired the first dart. The dart hit its intended target, causing the tiger to fall on its side, unconscious.

The second tiger turned to look at its comrade, and grunted, trying to get its attention. Before it could roar, Sherman loaded and fired a second dart at the tiger. The tiger collapsed simultaneously.

Once the two tigers were down, the three Assassins moved quickly, not knowing how long the sleep darts' effect would last.

Barging into the house, Sherman found the Tiger Tamer meditating. Upon seeing the three Assassins, the Tiger Tamer raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"How did you get in here?" he asked questioningly, yet in a calm manner. "You managed to get past my tigers?"

"Correct," Sherman answered, pulling out his cutlass. "With a helpful invention I stopped the tigers, at least for the time being."

Standing up, the Tiger Tamer pulled a weird-looking weapon strapped to his back. It was a double-edged dagger with its blades curved.

The Tiger Tamer caught Sherman looking at the weapon. "Interesting weapon, isn't it? It's known as the haladie, a weapon used by elite warriors of the Rajput clans, where I originate from."

"Doesn't matter whether you're from the Rajput clans or the goddamn King, I'll kill you anyway."

"Very well, then," the Tiger Tamer nodded. "It has been a while since I've fought, longer with an Assassin."

The haladie was indeed a good weapon, for Sherman found himself with little ways to defend himself against it. Before long he had been slashed in the stomach, but fortunately the cut was not deep.

Seeing that he had injured the Assassin, the Tiger Tamer got cocky. "It appears that I am the more superior fighter. It would be wise for you to surrender now, for I may consider sparing your life, Assassin."

"Enough of your horseshit," Sherman said. "I fight with honour and to the end, unlike you cowardly Templars."

Pulling his flintlock revolver out, Sherman aimed it at the Tiger Tamer. The Tiger Tamer snorted. "Guns, now? Such an ironic statement you made earlier! It appears that you are a coward, similar to my comrades."

"But it gets the job done," said Sherman before putting two bullets into the Tiger Tamer.

Sherman saw the haladie beside the Tiger Tamer's body, and decided to take it for himself. It was an interesting weapon, and it could serve him well in time to come. As he picked up the dagger, Sherman heard a loud roar from nearby, followed by a second, different-sounding roar. He knew that the two tigers had regained consciousness.

Running out of the house, Sherman barely had time to climb up a tree. The two tigers had destroyed the shack in a matter of seconds, and now the three Assassins were its targets. Now all three Assassins were on trees, near one another.

"Let's get out of here, before we become tiger food," ordered Sherman.

One hour later, Major William Farquhar, accompanied by five British soldiers. He clearly knew the risk of tigers in the forest. Nearing the forest clearing, William sensed something amiss.

Entering the forest clearing, William saw the destroyed shack and drew his sword immediately. Simultaneously the British soldiers raised their rifles.

"Three of you, search the damn shack now!" William demanded.

After searching through the debris for about half a minute, two of the soldiers pulled out the Tiger Tamer's body. William ran up to the body and examined it. There were two bullet holes in him, and the haladie the Tiger Tamer carried was not on him.

"Continue searching!" William told the soldiers. "Find the dual-edged dagger he owns!"

The soldiers searched for almost ten minutes, but did not find the dagger. William deduced that the Tiger Tamer had been murdered by Assassins, in which he was correct.

"Damn Assassins," muttered William. In a slightly louder voice, William told the soldiers, "Let's get back to town now. The longer we stay here the higher the chance we get ourselves torn apart by tigers."


	12. Chapter 12

Believing that there was another Assassin in the British Army, William installed a Templar in the British Army's ranks. He was a Lieutenant named Wilkes Johns. Wilkes was an alcoholic, spending a lot of his time drinking. Being rich, Wilkes liked to show it off, drinking expensive drinks in the largest tavern in the colony.

The Assassins decided that Wilkes had to be disposed of at once, so the danger of Sherman's identity being exposed would be lessened greatly. On a Friday evening, Sherman decided to get the job done.

Wilkes, dressed in civilian's attire, was sitting alone at a table in the tavern, drinking an expensive alcoholic drink. Sherman, dressed in his Assassin robes, eyed Wilkes in a suspicious matter, so as to piss him off.

It worked. Soon Wilkes' eyes were on Sherman, as if he was saying, "Oi! Why the hell are you looking at me?"  
Sherman cracked his knuckles, as if preparing for a fight. Wilkes stood up, flipping the table aside. The glass containing the drink shattered into pieces.

"You've got a problem with me, mate?" Wilkes questioned, pulling his, a British officer's sword out.

"No, no sir," Sherman said. "I have no problem with you."

Wilkes was already pissed off by then, and he was also slightly drunk. "But you had a problem with me when you were looking at me, eh? Thinking I was a little drunk bastard."

Drawing his flintlock revolver, Sherman told him, "I don't want no trouble, sir. Back off now, or I'll have to put a bullet into you."

Meanwhile the other customers were watching them, knowing that blood would be spilled and a good fight could be about to occur.

"Oh, a frickin' gun?" said Wilkes mockingly. "You bring a frickin' gun to a barfight? What are you, some kind of pussy?"

"Similar to you," Sherman retorted. "You're all talk, no action. At least I have some action."

The other customers roared in approval at Sherman's comeback. Wilkes was embarrassed now. "You goddamn bastard. I'll make you bleed by my sword!"

Swapping his revolver for his cutlass, Sherman went into battle with the man. There was a metallic clang as their blades came into contact with one another. "Better than I thought," Wilkes commented.

Kicking Wilkes hard in the shin, Sherman took a step back as Wilkes staggered backwards. Then taking two steps forward, Sherman thrust his cutlass into Wilkes' stomach.

The crowd cheered upon seeing blood. Wilkes was now on the floor, one hand clutching his wound while the other waving his sword at Sherman, attempting to keep him at bay.

"Ready to surrender yet?" Sherman asked, spitting on the floor.

"Surrender? To a bastard to you?" Wilkes shook his head in disbelief. "I would rather die."

Sherman shrugged. "But you'll have to get up first. It ain't nice fighting someone in this state, much weaker than myself."

He extended a hand, offering to pull Wilkes up. Wilkes thought for a few moments before deciding to accept his gesture. As Wilkes' hand left his stomach wound to grab Sherman's hand, he released his Hidden Blade.

The blade, small yet deadly, cut into Wilkes' wrist. Sherman made a small motion to pull the Hidden Blade out and keep it. To the crowd, it appeared that Wilkes' hand had froze midway and pulled back. They were surprised when they saw blood spewing out of his wrist.

"Assa…Assassin," muttered Wilkes in disbelief. "So they know, so they….they know."

Sherman nodded. "So you do not wish to fight any further? Well then, I'll take my leave now."

One of the customers rushed up to Wilkes and checked for his pulse. By then Wilkes was already dead. The customer turned to look at his opponent, but Sherman had already disappeared.

"The man has died!" the customer informed. The customers were all shocked by the customer's words.

As Sherman walked down the street outside the tavern, making his way back to the Assassin's Headquarters, a trio of British troops behind spotted a suspicious individual in robes. The robes they recognised as those worn by 'enemies of the colony', as described by Major William Farquhar.

"Hey you!" one of the soldiers called to Sherman. "Stop there, will you?"

But by then Sherman was already running, escaping from the soldiers. Without wasting anymore time the soldiers gave chase.

Turning into the next street Sherman encountered another trio of soldiers, who drew their rifles upon seeing the robed individual. Pulling his flintlock revolver out, Sherman shot the three soldiers in what he hoped to be non-fatal areas. While the soldiers were eliminated as a threat, the gunshots attracted many more soldiers.

Sherman turned into an alleyway, climbing up the first building in it. As the soldiers searched the vicinity, Sherman hid on the roof of the building. After about ten minutes of searching, the soldiers gave up and resumed their patrols. Then Sherman got off the roof and hurried back to the Assassin's Headquarters.

Back at the Assassin's Headquarters, Sherman told Duo Cheng, "We really have to be careful now. Damn soldiers were trying to attack me just now."

Duo Cheng nodded, before telling Sherman a piece of news. "A small fleet of three Mongolian ships have arrived. The flagship has docked in the harbour, while the other two are docked at the mouth of the river. It appears that the fleet is occupied and owned by a small Dzungar warrior clan. The Dzungars as I know it are currently being exterminated in their homeland, Mongolia."

"Who is the clan's chieftain?" asked Sherman.

Duo Cheng shook his head. "No idea who his name is. But he is very popular here now. I'm sure you'll be able to find him easily."


	13. Chapter 13

It was easy to get an audience with the Dzungar chieftain. They met on the clan's flagship, in the Captain's Quarters.

The Dzungar chieftain, a man in his late forties, saw Sherman and stood up to shake his hand. "Who might you be?"

Sherman took his hand and introduced himself and his partner. "I am Sherman Peirce, an Englishman. This man here is Duo Cheng, a former member of the Hongmen in China."

"I am the chieftain of this Dzungar clan, mainly consisting of warriors. On the three ships are all that remains of my once-mighty clan," said the chieftain. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Qing Tayiji."

Duo Cheng recognised the name. "Chieftain Tayiji, your reputation goes before you. I have heard the name before, when I was living in China."

Chieftain Tayiji nodded. "You two are probably here to form a pact or deal with me. Get to the point, quickly."

"The British resident of this land, Major William Farquhar, wishes to capture you and send you back to China, in order to gain power and influence," informed Sherman.

"And why are you telling me this?"

"We have heard of your skill in battle, and wish to form an alliance with you and your men," Duo Cheng said. "You scratch our backs we scratch yours."

Chieftain Tayiji was interested now. "But I don't form alliances with others that easily, especially with strangers. You two will have to prove that you are worthy of requesting for an alliance with me."

What Sherman had told him was true. William had expressed a great interest in capturing the clan chieftain, so far as to post scouts around the port to scan for any activity.

When night fell, William ordered a group of soldiers to capture Chieftain Tayiji, who was sleeping in the Captain's Quarters of his ship. The soldiers, who were known to be stealthy, captured Chieftain Tayiji without much difficulty.

Chieftain Tayiji was held in the British encampment outside the town. His tent was guarded by the group of soldiers who had captured him.

Before dawn arrived, Duo Cheng went to rescue the Chieftain. Emerging from the trees, he attacked the group. Pulling the first soldier close by his shirt, Duo Cheng knocked him unconscious with a blow to the head. Taking a sideways step to get close to the second soldier, Duo Cheng turned forty-five degrees clockwise and kicked the soldier in his crotch.

As the soldier staggered back, Duo Cheng delivered a hard roundhouse kick to his chest, sending him falling onto the ground. The other three soldiers of the group noticed the attacker and moved towards him.

Now Duo Cheng had no choice but to use his jian. In two swift slashes, Duo Cheng cut down as many soldiers. The last soldier, seeing Duo Cheng's skill and ability to kill him in the next two seconds, surrendered. Duo Cheng knocked him out before freeing Chieftain Tayiji.

"Am I worthy of the alliance now?" Duo Cheng said softly.

Chieftain Tayiji nodded. "They were rather good fighters. If you could take them out alone, it says something about your fighting ability. You and your friend will have your alliance, once you get me out of here."

For the sake of his clan, which had been nearly decimated, Chieftain Tayiji decided to leave Singapore. But he had his alliance with Sherman, Duo Cheng and the rest of the Assassin Order, whose existence had been told to the Chieftain.

"I will try my best to find the man you seek, Stamford Raffles," Chieftain Tayiji promised. "Should I find him I will bring him back here at once."

As the flagship left the port, a squad of soldiers were rushing towards the ship, attempting to stop the ship from leaving. Of course the attempt was futile, as Sherman and a few other Assassins had been there to protect the flagship.

Chasing after the group of soldiers, Sherman pounced on the first one, pinning him on the ground. Immediately he got up, chasing after the rest of the group of soldiers. He and the other Assassins employed the same strategy to slow them down, until the flagship was safe with the other two Mongolian ships.

Reporting for duty shortly after, Sherman was arrested by the British soldiers. "You might be the enemy after all!" William said. "We will see whether it's true, after you spend a few nights in confinement, guarded by your very own soldiers. Then we'll see whether you are the enemy scum we speak about."

Sherman had confidence he would be released, as there were other Assassins who would be going about as usual. Sherman had once given explicit orders not to rescue him should he get caught, unless he was about to be executed.

After spending a few days in the tent encampment, Sherman was released, and was given an official and sincere apology by William. "It appears I have mistaken you, Captain Peirce," William said. "For that you have my sincerest apologies, and a small token."

The small token was a pouch of coins, amounting up to seventy-five British pounds. "Thank you very much, sir. I'm also glad that my name is cleared, just like my conscience."

Back at the Assassin's Headquarters, Sherman was informed by Duo Cheng, "Looks like there's not much Templar activity now. So now we wait, until either more Templars arrive or Raffles returns."


	14. Chapter 14

Many months passed, and now it was December in the year 1821. The population of Singapore had risen past five thousand, which was a large population for a newly-established settlement. William had suddenly ordered a large shipment of weapons, and made it known to the public.

"For long we have enjoyed relative peace," William began. "But we cannot allow the peace to be broken by outside forces. Thus I have ordered a large shipment of weapons. In case of siege, we'll be able to use those weapons to defend the colony!"

But Sherman guessed what William was doing. He was initiating the plan to turn Singapore into a Templar base. Sherman knew that in time to come, whether in one month or one year, there would be many fighters entering Singapore. They would be William's soldiers in his quest to transform the colony.

"What the hell do we do?" asked Sherman.

Duo Cheng said, "We have no other option, but to rely on ourselves, and the tricks we've learned, to stop him. Or at least until Chieftain Tayiji returns with Stamford Raffles."

To mark the beginning of the taking over, the son of a powerful Japanese daimyo, Daisen Koryaku, a Master Templar of the Japanese Rite of the Templar Order, visited the colony, under the guise of 'establishing good ties with the new yet flourishing colony'.

Daisen brought along a small troop of fifty Japanese soldiers, which the Assassins knew would be a supporting force in the attack. Sherman and Duo Cheng knew they had to act fast, before the situation went out of control.

Major Farquhar escorted Daisen around the town, guarded by a squad consisting of Japanese and British soldiers. Dressed in the Japanese soldier's uniform, Duo Cheng crept up on one of the Japanese soldiers in the group, released his Hidden Blade and slit the soldier's throat, before taking over his position.

As William and Daisen neared an intersection, they noticed that the road ahead was blocked by a fallen carriage. Its apparent owner, a middle-aged lower-middle class man, was struggling to get the carriage up before the group arrived.

"Get the carriage out of the way!" ordered William.

The owner bowed slightly. "I am trying to do that right now, but the carriage is too heavy. Would you please spare some men to assist me?"

William sighed and looked to the British soldiers. "Do it, and quickly."

Three of the British soldiers rushed over, helping to get the carriage up. As they did so, the middle-aged man produced a dagger, which had been concealed in his clothing, and wedged it in between the nearest soldier's ribs.

Pulling the dagger out, the man slashed the second soldier across his stomach, then hurling it at the last soldier. Since it was at point-black range, the man did not miss.

"Shit, shit!" William swore, tugging Daisen's hand. "We have to go!"

Daisen refused as he drew a katana. "I will stay and fight them, no matter who the hell they are!"

From behind them, Sherman came, armed with his newly-acquired haladie. He thrust the dual-edged dagger into two Japanese soldiers, with each blade in one soldier's back. Forcing the haladie out, Sherman twirled the haladie in a figure-of-eight pattern as he waited a short moment for Daisen to notice him.

"Assassin!" Daisen gasped, seeing the hooded man. But before he could move, a shot rang out, and a hole appeared in Daisen's temple.

Duo Cheng stood, with his rifle raised, smoke drifting out of its end. Without waiting for Daisen to collapse, Duo Cheng dropped the rifle, and ran.

Now that the job was done, Sherman and the middle-aged man, who was in fact an Assassin apprentice, fled. The few remaining soldiers were all too terrified to give chase, despite William's orders.

However it was still not time for the Assassins to rest. Daisen's ship, which was also occupied by the rest of his soldiers, had to be destroyed. Pretending to be port workers, Sherman and Duo Cheng carried two barrels of gunpowder to the ship.

They got on the ship without much difficulty, as the soldiers thought the gunpowder was for their use. Bringing the two barrels below deck, into the cargo hold, Sherman took a handful of gunpowder and began setting a trail, all the way to the stairs. Using the lighter his flintlock revolver possessed, Sherman lit the fuse, before the two of them got as far away from the ship.

While the two Assassins swam as far as they could away from the ship, the fuse reached the barrels of gunpowder. There was a large explosion as the ship blew up, sending debris and bodies flying everywhere. One body landed in the water just in front of Duo Cheng.

Both of them stopped swimming, turning around to see the destruction they had caused.

"This should serve as a good warning to the Templars," commented Duo Cheng. "Now they'll think twice before sending reinforcements here."

Sherman nodded in agreement. "Well said. Now let's not wait for the soldiers to pull us out of the water, shall we?"

Making their way back to the Assassin's Headquarters, the two of them saw the Assassin apprentice being dragged along by two British soldiers.

"Seems like the bugger wasn't so lucky," Sherman said. "Let's rescue him, quickly. Before they disappear and he starts spouting all our secrets."

Checking his flintlock revolver, Sherman was disappointed to see that its gunpowder was wet, making it unusable. He decided to use the traditional melee weapons instead.

The two soldiers felt sharp pain in their backs, before they flew towards the ground. Sherman pulled his cutlass and Hidden Blade out of their bodies, before getting up. He cut the Assassin apprentice free.

"Make your own way back to the Assassin's Headquarters," Sherman told the apprentice before taking off with Duo Cheng.

It turned out that Duo Cheng was wrong. The death and destruction of Daisen, his ship and his soldiers only served as motivation for Templars to send more men, as it meant that the Templars were not strong in the region, especially that particular colony, Singapore.


	15. Chapter 15

The Assassin Order had little time to rest, as very soon the next Templar arrived in Singapore. The Templar was a Gurkha captain. Gurkhas were well-known for their fearless military prowess. Along with himself the Templar had brought along a squad of handpicked Gurkhas, the group representing the Kingdom of Nepal.

Sherman and Duo Cheng made their way to the port, intending to 'welcome' the Gurkhas.

Not only did Vijay Kapoor, the Gurkha captain, looked fearsome, but he was fearsome as well. Vijay's eyes seemed to be emitting raw power and calmness. Besides two flintlock pistols that were holstered at Vijay's waist, he was also armed with the signature weapon of the Gurkhas – the kukri. It was an inwardly curved blade that looked a lot like the machete, but was more favoured by the Gurkhas than the machete.

In addition to that, Vijay's kukri was a family heirloom, passed down from his ancestor. The blade of Vijay's kukri was made out of Damascus steel, which was known to be very tough and resistant to shattering.

Sherman crept up behind the Gurkhas, springing his Hidden Blade and driving it into the nearest Gurkha's back. Quickly pulling the blade out, Sherman slashed the second-nearest Gurkha across the back.

While Vijay and the rest of the Gurkhas were distracted by Sherman, Duo Cheng attacked, cutting down the two Gurkhas in front in three vicious swipes with his jian. Now there were four Gurkhas remaining, excluding Vijay.

The two Assassins mutually agreed that they should take out the other Gurkhas first, before attending to the Gurkha captain. The four remaining Gurkhas drew their kukris and circled around the two Assassins.

"Assassins, you dare attack Gurkhas?" Vijay was amused. "You have courage, but sadly the courage won't be rewarded."

Sounds echoed around the street as blades came into contact with one another. Sherman did not want to waste anymore time than he needed to, so he quickly pulled his revolver out, and shot all four Gurkhas dead.

"A revolver!" Vijay was even more amused. "A unique weapon for unique people, is it now? I couldn't agree more, Assassin. Just look at my kukri. It is the heirloom of my family, made out of the legendary Damascus steel."

Suddenly four British soldiers rushed towards them from the end of the street. Vijay noticed the soldiers and smiled at the two Assassins. "Well, I guess it's time for them to take over."

As Vijay ran, Duo Cheng told Sherman, "Go after him! I'll take care of your soldiers.

Sherman nodded and began running. "But don't kill them, Duo Cheng. You know who they are to me, after all."

Vijay ran as swift and nimble as an Assassin, if not better. Sherman was having difficulties catching up with the Gurkha. Fortunately Vijay stopped running halfway, only to turn back and draw his legendary kukri.

"It appears that you, a stubborn Assassin, refuses to give up on your chase," Vijay said. "I'll just have to make you give it up, then."

"Whatever you say," Sherman shrugged, pulling his cutlass out. "If you're tired, you should just say so. I'll let you rest, old man."

Sherman was not entirely wrong, as Vijay was much older than Sherman, being in his mid-forties.

Vijay moved like a whirlwind, fast and deadly. Sherman barely had time to parry his attack, before Vijay reached for his flintlock pistol. Sherman used his free hand to grab the hand, trying to avoid the pistol's end from aligning with Sherman's body.

He fired accidentally, and the bullet flew up into the sky. Vijay then threw the pistol onto the ground, and kicked Sherman hard in the stomach, causing Sherman to stagger backwards and away.

Sherman recovered quickly, and drew his revolver, emptying the chamber on Vijay. But Vijay did the most unthinkable thing. He deflected the bullets with his kukri.

"Ready to give up now, Assassin?" Vijay asked, seeing the shocked expression on Sherman's face.

"Give up?" Sherman snorted. "I'm not a Templar, goddamn it."

Vijay was mildly offended by his statement, and channelled his emotion to his fighting. As a last resort, Sherman quickly swapped his cutlass for his blowpipe. Before Vijay could realise what it was, Sherman fired a sleeping dart into Vijay.

"Cunning," Vijay said, trying to fight off the sleeping dart's effects. "Very cunning."

Half a second later Vijay was on the ground, unconscious. Sherman took Vijay's kukri, examining it for a few moments. "What fine steel this Damascus steel is," remarked Sherman. "I shall keep it to myself. Thank you, Templar, and may you rest in peace."

But as Sherman left the area, two British soldiers appeared. Turning behind as he intended to take another way, Sherman encountered two more British soldiers on the other end of the street, walking towards him.

"Put your hands up in the air, will you?" said one of the soldiers arrogantly.

Sherman ran to the nearest building, and in four swift, fluid movements he was on its roof. Without waiting for the soldiers to catch up, Sherman fled the area.

Back in the Assassin's Headquarters, Sherman saw Duo Cheng recovering. He had sustained a few bruises in the fight with the Gurkhas.

"Those damned soldiers," Duo Cheng said. "Really put up a good fight. Much like the Hongmen, they were loyal and did not give up any secrets, and fought to the very end."

"I guess the Templars are really stepping up their game," Sherman said. "We'll have to be more well-trained and prepared, so do the apprentices."

"But we have more urgent matters to attend to," Duo Cheng revealed. "One of the informants in the Triple S has something urgent to report to me, but I can't possibly meet him in this state. The informant I only know as Li, but he is trustable. Find him and when you see him, tell him 'Zhuge Liang is in Chengdu'. Remember the phrase."


	16. Chapter 16

Sherman found Li in an alleyway, reading a book known as the Romance of Three Kingdoms. "Zhuge Liang is in Chengdu," whispered Sherman.

Li, put the book down and looked at Sherman, scanning him. "Ah…you're his friend, aren't you? Your friend's men have found a man resembling Gregory Alexovich. I trust you know that is?"

Sherman nodded. "But is he Gregory Alexovich? And where is the man?"

"He appears younger than Mister Alexovich, according to the men who saw him," reported Li. "He's been staying in one of our establishments, a tavern called the Jin Long Inn."

He found the man loitering outside the Jin Long Inn. Sherman could not see the man clearly, as he was wearing a hood and his face was down. Walking up to the Russian, Sherman lifted his hood.

The man was surprised, and instinctively released his own Hidden Blade. Sherman automatically sprang his Hidden Blade as well.

"A member of the Order," muttered both men in unison.

"Who are you? And why are you here?" asked Sherman.

The man looked at Sherman. "You are Sherman Peirce, are you not? Master Assassin and leader of the Assassin Order here in this colony."

"Yes, that's me," Sherman nodded, secretly pleased that the man knew him. "And who might you be? What relation do you have to Gregory Alexovich?"

"My name's Boris, Boris Alexovich," revealed the man. "I am an Assassin, and the younger brother of Gregory. I sailed from Russia upon receiving news of my brother's death. When I arrived here I had no idea on how to contact you Assassins. I had no choice but to get attention, as I knew you Assassins would eventually notice me and check it out."

"Smart tactic," commended Sherman. "The news you received was correct. Your older brother, a good man, was murdered by the British resident himself, William Farquhar. A bullet to his head as he tried to escape from execution."

Boris frowned. "I intend to stay here, to carry on in my brother's work. I hope you allow."

"Of course," Sherman said. "The Assassins never turn away a helping hand, especially from a fellow Assassin."

However, Boris was only an Assassin novice when he sailed here, and had only the most basic combat skills. Luckily Duo Cheng was willing to train Boris.

Weeks passed and it was now late January of 1822. Boris had been trained under Duo Cheng, and had become a better fighter, and now ready to serve the Assassin Order officially.

Unknown to the Assassins till now, a few other Templars had entered the colony, attempting to aid their fellow comrades already here in Singapore.

The most dangerous Templar out of all was a Chinese pirate named Qing Hen. Although Qing Hen was not as well-known as other pirates, he was on good terms and many a time also assisted more infamous pirates. The Assassins were sure that Qing Hen would be able to summon in at least a hundred pirates whenever he wanted.

Wanting to let Boris gain some experiences, Sherman and Duo Cheng left the task to him. On the street, Boris 'accidentally' bumped into Qing Hen.

Looking at the Chinese, Boris' eyes widened. "You are the well-known Qing Hen, are you not?"  
Qing Hen was uncertain who this man was. "Who might you be?"

"I am one of the best pirates from the Danubian Sich, Ivan Rakovsky," lied Boris.

The two words 'Danubian Sich' caught Qing Hen's attention. The Danubian Sich was the remainder of the well-known pirate republic, the Zaporizhian Sich.

"A pirate from the Danubian Sich?" Qing was surprised. "An honour to meet you."

As Boris shook hands with Qing Hen, Qing Hen's attention shifted to a mechanism on the underside of Boris' wrist. As Qing Hen realised what it was, Boris drove the Hidden Blade into his wrist.

Pulling the Hidden Blade out, Boris pulled Qing Hen's flintlock pistol out of his holster, and used the man's pistol against himself. The bullet buried itself in Qing Hen's chest.

Laying on the ground as he bled, Qing Hen stammered, "Damn…Damned Assassin. My men…men will aven…avenge my death. At least I served the Temp…Templars well. May the Father of Under…Understanding guide me in the after…afterlife."

As Boris left the area, he heard a few people running behind him, seemingly in his direction. Swinging around, Boris saw a few Chinese men, all thin and armed, heading towards him. Boris guessed that they were Qing Hen's pirates, which was correct.

Delivering a roundhouse kick to the first pirate's stomach, Boris took a step forward and used the momentum to aid in punching the second pirate hard in his cheek. Charging into the third pirate, Boris used him as a shield as he rammed into the fourth pirate. The third lay on the fourth's body, as both of them drifted into unconsciousness.

The last pirate was not the least fazed by his comrades being beaten up by one man. Boris immediately assumed the pirate to be more superior in rank. The pirate drew two daggers and growled menacingly at Boris.

Ducking and dodging the pirate's blows, Boris eventually got wounded, his forearm grazed by one of the pirate's daggers. A second later Boris switched from defensive to offensive, thrusting his Hidden Blade at the pirate. The pirate deflected the Hidden Blade, causing Boris to involuntarily back a pace or two.

"Give up?" the pirate asked in heavily accented English.

Boris sneered and swiped his Hidden Blade at one of the pirate's daggers, knocking it out of his hand. The pirate gritted his teeth as the dagger landed on the ground, knowing that his enemy was gaining the upper hand.

The dagger sped towards Boris' chest. Without hesitation, Boris firmly grabbed the pirate's wrist, stopping the dagger from closing the remaining distance and entering his body. Boris twisted the wrist as hard as he could, making the pirate drop the dagger.

The pirate was speechless for a moment, as he realised he was now unarmed and vulnerable. Seizing the opportunity, Boris slashed the pirate across his chest, which provided him with a swift death.

Now with no more interferences, Boris made his way back to the Assassin's Headquarters.


	17. Chapter 17

Naturally, after Qing Hen's death, other Templars in the colony had inadvertently revealed their identities. Sherman decided to rally the Assassins to kill all of those Templars in a short span of time.

On the ground floor of the Assassin's Headquarters, three teams each consisting of a total of three Assassins gathered. Sherman was leading the first team, Duo Cheng the second and Boris the third.

"Now, my team will eliminate William Andersen, team two will eliminate Cadmael Livas, and team three will take out Ahmed Osmar. Your team leaders will tell you more about your respective targets along the way. If there're no more questions we'll all be on our way."

William Andersen was a Danish nobleman from a minor noble house, who was in Singapore for a long vacation, and at the same time to aid the Templars. Cadmael Livas was a relatively-famous Greek architect who had came to Singapore to flee the ongoing Greek War of Independence. Ahmed Osmar was an Ottoman cartographer, here in Singapore on a contract for Major William Farquhar.

Sherman and his group headed to the tavern William was staying in. Arriving outside the building, Sherman ordered his men to keep watch as he did the job.

It was easy getting to know which room William stayed in, as the innkeeper was a friendly person. Sherman went up to the first floor and knocked on the room William was staying in.

Opening the door, William looked at the Assassin, and recognised his identity almost immediately. Slamming the door in Sherman's face, William turned around and ran.

Catching the door before it closed, Sherman swung it back open and entered the room. There he saw William, threatening to jump out of an open window if Sherman got any closer.

"Either way my goal will be achieved," Sherman said calmly. "It's only how you choose to die. Entirely up to your choice, Mister Anderson. A painful way by falling off and then being killed, or mercifully by me?"

William sighed and got away from the window, raising his hands in surrender. Sherman nodded, contented with William's decision. He rewarded William's decision with a quick and merciful death with his Hidden Blade.

Cadmael lived in a colonial house owned by Major Farquhar, which was guarded by a small patrol of British soldiers. Duo Cheng ordered his two Assassins to take out the two soldiers guarding the main entrance to the house.

"Well done," Duo Cheng commended. "Now, you two stay here and watch the area. Make sure no one interferes."

The two Assassins nodded firmly in reply as Duo Cheng walked past the open gates, and into the house.

Cadmael was sitting in the living room, studying a pile of papers on a table when Duo Cheng entered. He was stunned to see Duo Cheng walk in.

Getting up, Cadmael drew a knife. "The Major warned me of this earlier. I'm quite surprised myself you made it past the soldiers."

"You underestimate the Assassins," Duo Cheng said as he pulled his jian out.

On Duo Cheng's first blow, the knife was knocked out of Cadmael's hands. Cadmael now became terrified, and tried to flee. But before he could Duo Cheng killed him with the jian.

Ahmed was tougher to kill, as he had brought along nearly a platoon of Ottoman soldiers. Thus Boris sent his Assassins to get assistance while he waited near Ahmed's location.

Soon his two Assassins returned, bringing along Sherman, Duo Cheng and their Assassins. Without any further delay the nine Assassins attacked the colonial house, which was also owned by Major William.

The battle was short but bloody, and the Assassins managed to win the battle, with only one dead and two wounded. The Ottoman soldiers had been assaulted unaware, and that gave the Assassins the upper hand.

"Take the injured and dead back to the Assassin's Headquarters, quickly," Sherman ordered the remaining Assassins. "Duo Cheng, Boris, come with me."

Once the Assassins left, Sherman, Duo Cheng and Boris entered the house. They saw Ahmed Osmar himself, standing on a flight of staircases in the middle of the house. On the lower steps of the flight was a squad of ten Templars, with their swords drawn and ready for battle.

"Assassins, eh?" Ahmed examined the three Assassins. "So you all have finally woken up and noticed our presence. But sadly your job won't be completed. Men, see to them at once."

In the chaos, Sherman slipped past the guards and went after Ahmed. Quickly Sherman cornered Ahmed in the latter's bedroom.

"You have nowhere else to run," Sherman pointed out. "Give up."

Ahmed pulled a sword out. "In Topkapi Palace I was known as one of the best eunuchs, due to my fighting skills. Let's see how my skills fares against an Assassin's."

He was much stronger than he looked, and was also pretty fast. Sherman found himself tiring out from Ahmed's attacks. Ahmed noticed it and mocked, "Perhaps I should go easier on you?"

Sherman rolled his eyes and released his Hidden Blade, thrusting it at Ahmed. Ahmed moved his sword over and into the Hidden's Blade path, stopping it from reaching its destination.

At that moment, Duo Cheng and Boris barged into the room, slightly worn out but otherwise fine. Their Hidden Blades ejected.

"My comrades have arrived," Sherman said, with a smile on his face. "The tables have turned, Ahmed Osmar. Surrender, or die."

"Either way it'll end with death," Ahmed said as he dropped his sword in surrender. "Just make it quick, will you? I wish to die with energy remaining in my body."

Taking a few steps back, Sherman let Duo Cheng take over. Duo Cheng did as Ahmed wished, kicking him in the heart with his Hidden Footblade. The three of them then left the colonial house, before any more enemies arrived.

The next morning William was exasperated to learn that three of his allies had been murdered on the very same night, and about the same time.

"This is a warning from the Assassins," William muttered to himself, guessing their intentions. "Their numbers have grown and they want to show it. I'll make them pay for their mistakes."


	18. Chapter 18

William retaliated swiftly, putting up wanted posters around Singapore. Not long after an unlucky Assassin was captured by William's troops. He devised a plan to lure out more Assassins with the already-captured one.

Four soldiers walked alongside the prison carriage the Assassin was in, armed with rifles that had bayonets attached to them. Crowds lined the streets, trying to get a glimpse of who was about to be executed.

Secretly, William had British marksmen hiding in the buildings along the prison carriage's path, as well as around the plaza where the execution would be held. They were all well-trained, and armed with Baker Rifles.

The prison carriage soon arrived at the plaza. Escorting him onto the makeshift stage, William announced, "Yet another enemy has been caught, and he will be executed for his crimes! I have already sent my men to put up wanted posters around the colony, looking for more men dressed similar to him. When you find one, beware, do not attempt to take him or her alone. They are well-trained and could kill you in the blink of an eye. Instead, alert the nearest soldier. If we all play a part, I believe our enemies will be vanquished quickly."

As William made his speech, he looked around the crowd, trying to see if there were any Assassins around. Then he looked at the locations where he had posted the marksmen. William's attention went to one of the soldiers, who seemed to be Chinese. He did not remember posting any British marksmen who were Chinese. William made a mental note to investigate later.

In fact, the Chinese soldier William had spotted was actually Duo Cheng. Sherman had informed them of William's plan to capture more Assassins, and Duo Cheng had quickly taken out one of the marksmen along the way and assumed his position.

Looking around the plaza, Duo Cheng saw Boris in civilian attire, blending in among the crowd. He had a sword sheathed at his waist, which few of the civilians paid attention to, as there were more exciting things to be paying attention to at the moment.

A few of the soldiers had taken notice of Boris, who was slowly but surely making his way to the front of the crowd. As they made their way towards Boris, Duo Cheng gestured to the other soldiers around the plaza, whose positions had been replaced by hand-picked Assassins who were decent shooters.

Shots went off simultaneously, and a second later four of the soldiers who were making their way towards Boris toppled, bleeding profusely.

At that moment all hell broke loose. Boris sprinted the remaining distance and hopped onto the stage, drawing his sword. William guessed that his marksmen had been assassinated and quickly ran for cover, choosing not to fight the Russian Assassin. Boris quickly freed the captured Assassin, and they fled.

As the two Assassins fled, the four men on the buildings helped in their escape, by eliminating pursuing soldiers. But soon their position was identified and the remaining soldiers were heading their way.

Duo Cheng gestured to the other Assassins to make their escape. A second later they all disappeared from the windows.

Making his way down the stairs of the building, Duo Cheng encountered a brave soldier, who wanted to be the one killing the enemy. Unfortunately he would not be able to do it, as in two quick moves Duo Cheng had knocked him unconscious.

Coming out of the building, Duo Cheng was ambushed by three British soldiers. His jian slid out of its sheath, and Duo Cheng waved it around, in an attempt to intimidate the soldiers. The soldiers sneered threateningly at him, before one of them rushed towards Duo Cheng.

Raising his jian, Duo Cheng deflected the bayonet, before exerting extra strength to push the bayonet upwards. Eventually the rifle dropped on the ground. The soldier immediately bent to pick it up, and Duo Cheng used his jian like a cleaver, chopping it into the soldier's skull.

Forcing the jian out of the first soldier's skull, Duo Cheng slashed the second soldier, but the soldier parried with his bayonet. Ejecting his Hidden Blade, Duo Cheng thrust it into the soldier's abdomen.

Grabbing the second soldier's rifle, Duo Cheng fired at the third soldier. The bullet buried itself in the soldier's forehead, killing him almost instantly. Duo Cheng dropped the rifle and fled the area.

Later the Assassins regrouped at the Assassin's Headquarters. Fortunately all of them returned safe and sound.

"We need to retaliate," Duo Cheng suggested. "We cannot let the Templars get away, after nearly killing one of our members."

Sherman nodded at Duo Cheng. "But we've killed so many of their members, it's only natural for the Templars to attempt to get revenge. If we only wish for bloodlust and to kill as many enemies as possible, then we are no different from the Templars."

The Assassins, including Duo Cheng, agreed with Sherman. Sherman continued, "For now, we will wait, until the time comes for us to rise again. In the meantime, you all must train hard. I sense danger will come soon."


	19. Chapter 19

It was now July 1822, and an anti-pirate expedition organised by Major William Farquhar had returned from West Java, after nearly half a year. People were saying that they had returned with a lot of treasure which they had taken from the vanquished pirates.

Upon hearing of the news, the Assassins were tempted to investigate. The temptation increased upon receiving word that the leader of the expedition, Wilkes Andrews, a famous pirate hunter, was a known Templar.

In the cover of darkness, Sherman, Duo Cheng, Boris and three other Assassins made their way to the port, where the ship was. Sherman ordered Boris and the three Assassins to stay while he and Duo Cheng investigated.

The entire expedition remained in their ship, a brig with the British ensign hung proud and high for all to see. Sherman walked up the gangway confidently, dressed in his British Captain's uniform.

Looking to one of the men on board, Sherman asked, "I was sent by Major Farquhar to look for Mister Andrews. Do you know where he is?"

"Aye," the man answered. "He's in the Captain's Quarters, as that's where he should be."

Sherman walked into the Captain's Quarters without being stopped by anyone. Seeing Sherman, Wilkes said, "Who are you? And why are you here?"

"Ah, allow me to introduce myself, Mister Wilkes Andrews," Sherman said, taking a small bow. "I am Captain Dal Aaran of the British Army, and have been sent by the Major."

"Why isn't he here himself, Captain Aaran?" questioned Wilkes.

Sherman frowned. "There is grave danger, sir. Major Farquhar and I know of evil men called Assassins, who are now out to kill you."

Wilkes swore. "Where am I to go? Where is he going to relocate my men and I, as well as the treasure?"

"You are to remain here," Sherman said. "As we speak my men have taken strategic positions around the port. None of our enemies will manage to even get one step into the port now."

He shook his head. "You don't understand. Those Assassins…they're resourceful. If they themselves don't get in, they'll get someone else who's not an Assassin to. They'll definitely kill me if I stay here."

"Don't worry," Sherman assured him, choosing not to reply him.

Walking over to the door of the Captain's Quarters, Sherman locked it, before returning to Wilkes. His suspicion was raised, and Wilkes' hand immediately wrapped around his flintlock pistol, which was holstered at his waist.

"Relax, Mister Andrews," Sherman tried to calm him down. "I only locked the door for security measures. If the Assassins attacked like you said, we would be bought a short amount of time by locking the door. The short amount of time might just save your life, if that's what I've learned from all my years in the Army."

Wilkes hand relaxed and nodded in agreement. "At least they taught you something useful."

Once he walked up until he was beside Wilkes, Sherman struck. First he went for Wilkes' pistol, pulling it out of its leather holster and aiming it at its owner. "Hands up, Mister Andrews," Sherman ordered.

"Who the hell are you?" Wilkes demanded to know, as he obeyed to Sherman's order.

Sherman ignored the question. "Where are your treasures from the expedition?"

"You'll never take our treasure," Wilkes spat. "If I don't stop you, my men will."

A hand wrapped around Wilkes' neck, and it thrust his body, slamming it against the wall. As the hand slowly tightened Wilkes struggled, his eyes pleading for Sherman to let go. Eventually Sherman released his grip.

"Where are the treasures?" Sherman asked again to a terrified Wilkes, who was gasping for air.

Wilkes stammered, "Below…below deck. In th…the cargo hol…hold."

Without warning Sherman whacked him with the flintlock pistol, before stabbing Wilkes twice in the stomach and once in between his ribs with his Hidden Blade. Sherman placed the pistol gently on Wilkes' desk and told the dying man, "Rest in peace, Templar."

Leaving the ship Sherman quickly gathered the Assassins to board the ship. The other five Assassins had their hoods down and weapons concealed, making them look like ordinary civilians.

"We are here to inspect your goods," explained Sherman to the men on board the ship. "Mister Andrews himself has already given his approval, but is resting now. The men who are with me are plainclothes British soldiers who will be assisting me. Please don't mind us."

Going below deck, the six Assassins marvelled at all the treasure being held in the cargo hold. They immediately went for the satchels which were littered around the cargo hold, as they would be easier to carry.

After they took as many satchels of treasure as they could possibly carry, the six Assassins left the ship by jumping out of the window, before swimming back onto land.

Back at the Assassin's Headquarters, they counted all the loot they had stolen, which was coincidentally all currency.

"We have a total of approximately…ninety British pounds," announced Sherman. "Not too bad for a catch. Those men will probably kick themselves for letting people steal and kill right under their noses."

Duo Cheng chuckled. "But we'll have to be careful, though. Major Farquhar will be angry once he assumes that someone impersonated one of his soldiers. He'll be looking."


	20. Chapter 20

The next day Sherman 'reported' that he had been mugged in an alleyway and his clothing had been swapped. Major Farquhar quickly linked it with the incident that had occurred the night before, and immediately started a hunt for the mugger, who he suspected had murdered Wilkes Andrews.

The Assassins decided to frame a Templar sympathiser, who had plans to join the Templar Order in time to come. Sherman let Duo Cheng and Boris decide on how to frame the sympathiser, who was a beginning Christian missionary from Spain.

Firstly Boris planted a copy of a set of British Captain uniform in the missionary's home, where he discovered that the missionary had been somehow collecting Assassin-related items.

Secondly Duo Cheng, who was still an ally of William's, 'informed' him that the missionary had been spotted carrying British uniform recently.

William put the 'pieces' together swiftly and ordered a raid on the missionary's house while he was at home, so they could apprehend him as well, if he was really the culprit.

Sherman and five of his soldiers gathered outside the missionary's house. However, two of the soldiers were William's guards, and would not be doing much for the entire raid other than protecting the Major.

"On the count of three," Sherman told his soldiers. "One…two…three!"

Storming into the house, Sherman swung his rifle around, ready to shoot if needed. The missionary was shocked by the sudden intrusion, and immediately stood up.

"Hands in the air!" Sherman ordered the missionary, as he aimed the rifle at him.

The missionary obeyed, and as Sherman kept the rifle pointed at him, his soldiers searched the house.

Before long one of the soldiers found the British Captain's uniform Duo Cheng had planted, along with the Assassin-related items. Bringing them out, the soldier put them on the table which was in front of the missionary.

William told his two guards to restraint the missionary, and ordered Sherman to put his rifle down.

"What are these which sit before you?" William demanded to know.

"Everything but the uniform is mine," the missionary said, stunned to see the uniform, which he did not remember having.

"If they're not yours, why would they be in your house?" Sherman asked. William nodded, agreeing with Sherman.

The missionary protested, "I…I was framed! I wanted to use these items to aid me in joining the order!"  
"What order do you speak of?" William questioned.

"The…the Templar Order!" the missionary told them.

Sherman sneered at the missionary. "But that doesn't explain why you have the uniform."

"It isn't mine…I swear!" the missionary said.

"Where were you last night?" Sherman asked.

"At…at home, of course!" the missionary replied. William took the stammering to be that the missionary was lying, which was not true but worked in Sherman's favour.

"Lies!" William spat. Addressing the two soldiers restraining the missionary, William said, "Take him away!"

At night while the missionary was in prison, Sherman visited him, dressed in his Assassin robes. The missionary was stunned to see that the Assassin had managed to get to him.

"What do you want, Assassin?" the missionary asked, with a tinge of fear in his voice.

Sherman answered, "I want you to take responsibility for the crime you are accused of, even though you're not the culprit."

"Why…why should I?"

His Hidden Blade sprang out. The missionary's face paled at the sight of the Hidden Blade. Sherman told him, "You will suffer a fate worse than death if you do not take responsibility. Even if you hide we'll find you."

The missionary believed Sherman. After all he had managed to get into this area, which was supposed to be restricted to only authorised personnel.

"Al…alright. I'll do what you say," the missionary said reluctantly.

The next morning when Sherman and William went to visit the missionary, he confessed to his crimes, but did not say anything about the Assassin's visit last night.

"Finally you admit to your crimes," Sherman said. The missionary found his voice similar to the Assassin's, but did not say anything.

William told Sherman, "Get his execution ready as soon as possible. We don't want him escaping and getting to the relative safety of the Assassins. If he succeeds in doing that the Assassin Order will have one more man in their ranks."

To avoid suspicion, the Assassins faked an attempt in rescuing the missionary, but failed as according to plan. In the end the missionary was executed and the Assassins managed to get away safely from their fake attempt.

"Thank god you were there," William said to Sherman. "If you weren't there the Assassins would probably have succeeded."

"No problem, sir," Sherman told him.

William revealed to Sherman, "None of the soldiers know this, but in May last year I was promoted, to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel."

"Congratulations…sir," Sherman said, stunned by the news.

He continued, "I've already sent a letter of recommendation for you to be promoted to Major. If it goes well you would receive a letter in the coming days. When you do get the letter tell me, then I can commemorate my public announcement by also announcing your promotion."

"Oh god…sir. Thank you so much," Sherman said with gratitude, even though William was secretly his enemy.


End file.
